Enshi in China to donate 5000 face masks for Galway’s frontline workers

By Sharon Dolan D’Arcy

Enshi in China is to send 5000 face masks to Galway to help the city’s frontline health care staff in the fight against coronavirus.

Speaking on the Keith Finnegan Show on Galway Bay FM this morning, Mayor Mike Cubbard confirmed that had he had taken a call from the Deputy Director of Enshi City Municipal Chinese Government who had offered “a hand of support to Galway” and said that 5000 face masks would be sent.

Mayor Cubbard said:

“When you see that this pandemic has hit 90 countries now…it’s great that they have reached out to Galway.”

Mayor Cubbard also confirmed that he had been in contact with Maurice Power, the CEO of Sáolta Hospital Group to inform him of the offer which has been accepted. He said that the face masks are now enroute.

Enshi is a city in the western Hubei province of China and is located to the west of Wuhan, where the first case of coronavirus originally occurred.

Relations between Galway and Enshi have been ongoing since Neil McNelis’ tenure as mayor last year. GMIT also has formal links with the Hubei University for Nationalities in Enshi.

There are now 40 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Galway.